1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical staplers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical stapling apparatus capable of being reloaded during a surgical procedure without being removed from the surgical site.
2. Background of the Related Art
Surgical devices for first grasping or clamping tissue between opposing jaw structure and then stapling the tissue with surgical fasteners are well known in the art. In some instruments a knife is provided to cut the tissue which has been stapled by the fasteners. Instruments for this purpose typically include two elongated members, one of which carries a staple cartridge and the other of which includes an anvil. The staple cartridge houses a plurality of staples arranged in at least two lateral rows. The anvil defines a surface for forming the staple legs as the staples are driven from the staple cartridge. In certain devices, the stapling operation is effected by cam bars that travel longitudinally through the staple cartridge. A knife may travel between the staple rows to longitudinally cut and/or open the stapled tissue between the rows of staples.
Often all or part of the stapling assembly of the surgical device is located on a loading unit that is operably connected to a handle assembly. While the handle assembly is configured for multiple uses, the loading unit can be configured for a single use. After the single use is exhausted, the loading unit is removed from the handle assembly and properly disposed.